AMAZON

Friday, November 16, 2007

Bathroom Drama

Blogging wasn’t on my agenda for Thursday, which turned into Friday about half an hour ago. It was another long day and by early evening by body—primarily injured leg and lower back—demanded an evening nap, if not retiring for the night.

While Tasha, my housekeeper, and I worked on household stuff this morning and afternoon, Alex had been hyper, dashing around and under our feet, demanding to go outside and five minutes later demanding to come back inside.

After Tasha left, I sat down at the computer to check email and, going off-line, began to do some financial stuff (which I loathe doing) using Quicken. A bit later, when I returned to the computer after grabbing a Pepsi from the frig, I found Alex had taken the opportunity to leap on my desk and catnap:

At least he wasn’t on the keyboard. He was directly under the high intensity light, which I assume is warmer than the computer,so I was able to complete reconciling my financial accounts. Then I took that evening nap that my body demanded.

I awakened about 10:00 p.m., fed the cat who owns me and then myself, and obeyed the Furball’s command to open the front door. This time he catted around outside much longer than he did earlier during the daylight. When he finally came home, I did the snuggle/pet/tickle routine on him and he retired to the kitchen while I gathered a towel and my robe and headed for the bathroom. As I passed the kitchen, Alex was in his hunting mode, crouched like a leopard about to spring and again staring at that space between the cabinet and the stove.

When I bathe I leave the bathroom door ajar because, sooner or later, Alex will begin scratching it and demand to come in. As I mentioned before, he often climbs on my chest while I relaxing in the tub, curls up, purrs, and falls asleep. With the door ajar he can push it open and come in on his own, ‘cause I am not going to get out of the tub to let the furball in.

About fifteen minutes after I began soaking, the bathroom door was flung open and Alex streaked in in his bat-out-of-hell manner. Glancing from my reclined position in the tub, I briefly caught sight of a small, dark colored critter running in its bat-out-of-hell mode just a bit ahead of my furball.

I had difficulty watching the drama that ensued because the shower curtain partially blocked my view. At one point I saw the tiny mouse dash toward the door and Alex leaping to cut it off from the exit. The mouse did a 180 degree turn and ran under the table that I keep beside the tub and I lost sight of it. Evidently Alex did, too, because he began clawing at the shower curtain. I eyeballed him the best I could and I think at one point I saw the mouse in Alex’s open mouth.

That’s when I decided to get out of the tub. I expected to see another mouse carcass on the bathroom floor, but found none. Nor did I see any signs on Alex’s face or fur that he had just consumed the rodent. Then I noticed that Alex was still searching the bathroom:

WHERE DID THAT DAMNED MOUSEY GO?

Evidently, the mouse again escaped. At least I hope so. I’m not one to be turned on by hunting for sport by humans or felines.

At the moment Alex is again in the kitchen in his hunting mode, crouched like a leopard about to spring and again staring at that space between the cabinet and the stove.

THOMAS: Unfortunately, Alex didn’t scare the little bugger. About half an hour ago I spotted the mouse on my kitchen counter by the stove. It evidently also saw me and darted across the countertop and behind the stove. Thus I suspect the nest is behind the stove and Alex watching it so closely is most appropriate. Now that I’m certain where the nest is, I’ll have to figure a way to rid the house of the critters.

BETH: Thank you; the Furball and I have what I believe is a unique relationship. Alex is the first cat who has ever owned me. Through my life two other cats have adopted my family and me, but both were female and pregnant. As soon as they had and weaned their litters (leaving my family with the burden of finding homes for the kittens) they deserted us. Very cat-like, weren’t they!

MAT-MAN: Actually I just noticed Alex’s, uh, warrior attributes a few weeks ago when I found the carcass of the first mouse in the bathroom. I noticed that Alex was proud of his kill—and royally pissed when his carcass disappeared. One never knows what is hidden beneath a cat’s inscrutable exterior: your cat may surprise you as Alex surprised me.

Nick, I don't think I had enough coffee this morning. I was reading this, laughing, and then when I looked at that very first picture, I realized that Alex's tail is much different from the rest of his body. I thought that Alex got sucked up by some mostrous type of mouse. Then I realized it was his tail. *shakes head*

Well, at least you have the best exterminator around! Can't have a man to do a cat's job!

T.K.: Whipped? Who, me? Just because I do whatever Alex wants to protect my gonads from his claws?

DEB: Sometimes Alex has the same effect on me: I can’t tell his head from his ass. (Only kidding, Alex). I really don’t know how expert a mouser Alex is. To my knowledge, so far the score is tied: Alex 1, Mice 1.

QUEENIE: Yeah, Alex can be a real comedian—of course, it all depends upon who is telling the story.

LOULAUGHLIN: Thanks, Lou. I’ll pass your compliment on to Alex. At the moment he’s dining on his favorite cat meal. Any minute now I expect him to (try to) sneak up on me to stick his claws in my leg (or gonads, if he can get under my desk before I see him) so that I’ll jump up and open the door so he can go outside and play.

did alex catch the mouse? thankfully, willow only goes after flies, moths and spiders. once he proudly presented me with a bird feather, but i think that was already laying on the ground - he wouldn't know what to do with a bird.

Bronte and Holly like to bring home frogs. Bronte's offerings are usually alive and I can rescue them but if Holly catches anything she kills it outright. The female is definitely more deadly than the male with those two!

I know it's really selfish but...I so wish you could just keep taking pics to follow his progress. I'm not a big cat person but I swear I'd snatch Alex up in a heartbeat. I love that cat! He's just adorable.

JODY: Yes he’s cute and he knows it. Hey, Jody, haven’t we had this dialogue before?

MAXXO: Nope, I think that mouse got away. At least I’ve come upon its carcass. One day Willow may develop the cat/muse thing. I didn’t think Alex was into it until just last week and Alex is almost 4 years old.

CRABBY: You know that I have a whole album of Alex pics on Flickr? Or, perhaps I should create a blog with nothing but photos of the furball? Alex and I considered that with his blog but I’m having a hell of at time formatting photos on Wordpress and Alex refuses to take responsibly for uploading and formatting pictures on his own blog. Silly (lazy) cat that he is!

PETER (at Large): Amen. Alex has taught me more than I have taught him.

MEL: Exasperation? Who, me?

ANGUS XVII: I could take a 100 pictures of Alex napping every day! As a matter of fact, I could snap on right now.

SAINTSEESTER: Thanks for your concern. Alex is healing well and the hair on the shaved spot in growing back fairly fast. The scabs where the shunt went in are almost gone. He really seems happy that the lump on his rump is gone. He was not happy with his twice daily doses of oral antibiotics, but he’s now completed that treatment.

PUSS-IN-BOOTS: I got a bit of sleep in two hour spurts. I really did to do something about the pain in my leg and back!

THE LONE BEADER: I really need to make a video of Alex streaking around in bat-out-of-hell mode. I think for his size he’s as fast as a panther.

i also leave the bathroom door open- taxi goes wherever i go and if he doesn't follow me in he also scratches at the door, though if i don't open up he'll jump and grab the door handle till it opens. when he comes in all i see is the top of his tail flicking back and forth as he walks past the bath.then he'll jump up onto the side of the bath and talk to me while i bath.